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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Nemophora metallica
Lepidoptera / Adelidae
Nemophora metallica is a bronze, day-flying longhorn moth of flower-rich European grasslands. Its larvae begin in scabious flower heads and later carry portable cases among lower leaves and fallen material.
Read the species account
Bronze wings contrast with long antennae. Male antennae are approximately three times forewing length; female antennae are about half the length of male antennae. [2]
The male antennae are white towards their tips. [1]
The European range includes dry meadows and flower-rich open habitats. [1]
British records concentrate in southern England and East Anglia. [2]
Larvae begin in scabious seeds, then construct portable silk-and-plant cases on the ground. They overwinter as mature larvae and pupate inside the cases in spring. [1]
Field scabious, Knautia arvensis, is the sole Finnish host reported. Later larvae eat lower leaves and detritus; adults take nectar. [1]
Adults fly in sunshine. The British flight season falls principally in June and July, when the moths can be encountered around their flowering hosts. [2]
The Finnish male’s assembly spans 710.84 megabases, with most sequence assigned to 31 chromosome-scale pseudomolecules, including Z. [1]
Finland’s 2019 assessment lists the species as Endangered. [1]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Wellcome Open Research; Project Psyche and University of Eastern Finland · Accessed 2026-10-13
Ian Kimber, UKMoths · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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